New London-Block Island ferry service among clean-air grant recipients

Brian HallenbeckNovember 15, 2018

Block Island Express Inc., the New London-based ferry that provides seasonal, high-speed passenger service between the city and Block Island, has been chosen to receive a 12.2 million for 10 clean-air projects in the state, the money coming from Connecticut’s share of settlements the Volkswagen Corp. has agreed to pay in a federal civil enforcement case.

Volkswagen publicly admitted in 2015 that it secretly and deliberately had installed a “defeat device” — software designed to cheat emissions tests and deceive federal and state regulators — in nearly 600,000 Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche diesel-powered vehicles sold to American consumers.

As a result of the settlements, Connecticut is expected to receive more than 2,429,300, of which Block Island Express ultimately will be responsible for nearly 4.9 million to help offset the cost of replacing 12 diesel transit buses with electric buses and the installation of associated charging infrastructure. DOT will be responsible for $10.2 million of the project costs.